Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag: The Viral Hit of WWI

As one of the most iconic songs of World War One, Pack Up Your Troubles has traveled the world, with the lyrics and tune remaining with us long after the guns fell silent in 1918. A firm favourite in its day with troops on the Western Front as well as their families back at home, it has been translated into Dutch, German and Spanish, becoming a truly global hit.

Originally being labelled a flop by the people that wrote it, two brothers known as the Harlequinaders, it was not until a competition in New York in 1915, which was awarding 100 guineas for the best troop-marching song, that Pack Up Your Troubles won and became hugely popular the world over.

While A Long Way to Tipperary became the first true hit of the war, as the war continued, songs such as Pack Up Your Troubles became important in keeping up the morale of the troops and it united people in a shared experience, whether they were at home, on the Western Front, or stationed further afield.

To hear the song for yourself and find out more about its history, click here.

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